INTER-MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE ON SDGS ESTABLISHED

Submitted by Webmaster-UN on 25 May, 2017 - 14:25

Wednesday, 17 May, 2017

The Inter-Ministerial Committee for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, Agenda2030 for sustainable development, with Prime Minister Order No. 63 of 12 May 2017, held its first meeting today.
The focus of this Committee is to provide guidance for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Albania, ensuring harmonization of SDGs with the national strategic framework. The Committee, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister with participation of line Ministers, will provide an inclusive, long-term approach to sustainable development including policy direction, planning, implementation, financing and reporting in close dialogue with other partners - independent institutions, local government, development partners, private sector, academia and civil society.
“The Agenda2030 is designed to be embraced globally, but it is also designed to cover the priorities and peculiarities of each country. In this context, the agenda needs to be tailored to Albania`s specific context with reasonable, realistic and effective objectives and goals. To this end, the level of correlation between Agenda 2030 and the domestic policy priorities is crucial, along with well-defined measures for its implementation”- affirmed Mr. Niko Peleshi, Deputy Prime Minister.
The SDG nationalization process in Albania is proceeding with the finalization of a Baseline Report and National Action Plan for the attainment of SDGs, led by the Government with the United Nations support.
Mr. Brian J. Williams, UN Resident Coordinator, in his role as the permanent guest of the Committee, commended the strategic commitment of the Government of Albania for the achievement of SDGs. He affirmed that the engagement of multi-constituency layers of the Albanian society is paramount to ensure an inclusive implementation of the Agenda 2030 at country level. To reach SDGs, Albania should draw upon existing national structures and align processes within the EU integration perspective. The importance of data for monitoring and reporting purposes and proper alignment with global formats is critical. In this view, the pooled funding approach that enjoys the support of Government and development partners will help to strengthen alignment of efforts and increase effectiveness of results - noted Mr. Williams.
The Committee`s next meeting will be held in late 2017 to consider the full range of developments in Albania. Through the lens of SDG achievement, shall record progress and positive valuable initiatives, as well as gaps and challenges to take into consideration for upcoming actions.